• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
• /
• v.43 no.2
• /
• pp.128-137
• /
• 2018

Purpose: This study was designed to elucidate the energy-utilization patterns for five methods of robo production. Methods: Robo (fried melon cake) was produced using five different methods, and the energy used for each unit operation was calculated using standard equations. The sensory attributes of the products were determined by panelists. Data were analyzed using descriptive analysis and analysis of variance at p < 0.05. Results: The energy demands for processing 2.84 kg of melon seed into robo (fried melon cake) using processes 1 (traditional method), 2, 3, 4, and 5 (improved methods) were 50,599.5, 21,793.6, 20,379.7, 21,842.9, and 20,429.3 kJ, respectively. These are equivalent to energy intensities of 1,7816.7, 7,673.8, 7,175.9, 7,691.2, and 7,193.4 kJ/kg, respectively. For the traditional process, the frying operation consumed the highest energy (21,412.0 kJ), and the mixing operation consumed the lowest energy (675.0 kJ). For the semi-mechanized processes, the molding operation consumed the highest energy (6,120.0 kJ), and the dry milling consumed the lowest energy (14.4 kJ). Conclusions: The energy-consumption patterns were functions of the type of unit operation, the technology involved in the operations, and the size of the equipment used in the whole processing operation. Robo produced via the milling of dried melon seed before oil expression was rated highest with regard to the aroma and taste quality, as well as the overall acceptability of the sensory evaluation, and required the lowest energy consumption. Full mechanization of the process line has potential for further reduction of the energy demand.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.30 no.10
• /
• pp.1567-1573
• /
• 2020

Ultraviolet (UV) is one of the major factors harmful to skin health. Irradiation with ultraviolet accelerates the decline of skin function, causing the skin to have deep wrinkles, dryness, decreased procollagen production, and degradation of collagen. Novel materials are needed to prevent the aging of the skin by blocking the effects of UV. Safflower seed oil (Charthamus tinctorius L., SSO) contains significantly high levels of unsaturated fatty acids and phytochemicals. SSO has been traditionally used in China, Japan, and Korea to improve skin and hair. Our objective in this study was to determine the effect of SSO and its active compound acacetin on UVB-induced skin photoaging in HaCaT cells and human dermal fibroblasts (HDF). SSO inhibited UVB-induced matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) at both protein and mRNA levels in HaCaT cells and HDF. MMP-1 is known to play important roles in collagen degradation and wrinkle formation. Acacetin, a type of flavonoid, is present in SSO. Similar to SSO, acacetin also inhibited UVB-induced MMP-1 protein and mRNA levels in HaCaT cells and HDF. MMP-1 mRNA is primarily regulated by the mitogen-activated kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. Acacetin regulated the phosphorylation of JNK1/2 and c-jun, but did not inhibit the phosphorylation of ERK1/2, p38 and AKT. Taken together, these results indicate that SSO and its active compound acacetin can prevent UVB-induced MMP-1 expression, which leads to skin photoaging, and may therefore have therapeutic potential as an anti-wrinkle agent to improve skin health.

• Mycobiology
• /
• v.44 no.3
• /
• pp.162-170
• /
• 2016

In this paper, we demonstrate the ability of Arabidopsis thaliana to detect different mixtures of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by the common indoor fungus, Aspergillus versicolor, and demonstrate the potential usage of the plant as a bioindicator to monitor fungal VOCs in indoor air. We evaluated the volatile production of Aspergillus versicolor strains SRRC 108 (NRRL 3449) and SRRC 2559 (ATCC 32662) grown on nutrient rich fungal medium, and grown under conditions to mimic the substrate encountered in the built environment where fungi would typically grow indoors (moist wallboard and ceiling tiles). Using headspace solid phase microextraction/gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, we analyzed VOC profiles of the two strains. The most abundant compound produced by both strains on all three media was 1-octen-3-ol. Strain SRRC 2559 made several terpenes not detected from strain SRRC 108. Using a split-plate bioassay, we grew Arabidopsis thaliana in a shared atmosphere with VOCs from the two strains of Aspergillus versicolor grown on yeast extract sucrose medium. The VOCs emitted by SRRC 2559 had an adverse impact on seed germination and plant growth. Chemical standards of individual VOCs from the Aspergillus versicolor mixture (2-methyl-1-butanol, 3-methyl-1-butanol, 1-octen-3-ol, limonene, and ${\beta}-farnesene$), and ${\beta}-caryophyllene$ were tested one by one in seed germination and vegetative plant growth assays. The most inhibitory compound to both seed germination and plant growth was 1-octen-3-ol. Our data suggest that Arabidopsis is a useful model for monitoring indoor air quality as it is sensitive to naturally emitted fungal volatile mixtures as well as to chemical standards of individual compounds, and it exhibits relatively quick concentration- and duration-dependent responses.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.16 no.2
• /
• pp.531-535
• /
• 2015

Vasculogenic mimicry (VM) refers to the unique ability of highly aggressive tumor cells to mimic the pattern of embryonic vasculogenesis, which was associated with invasion and metastasis. The grape seed proanthocyanidins (GSPs) had attracted much attention as a potential bioactive anti-carcinogenic agent. However, GSPs regulation of VM and its possible mechanisms in a triple-negative breast cancer cells (TNBCs) remain not clear. Therefore, we examined the effect of GSPs on VM information in HCC1937 cell model. In this study, we identified the VM structure via the three-dimensional (3D) matrix in vitro. Cell viability was measured using the CCK8 assay. The effects of GSPs on human triple-negative breast cancer cells (TNBCs) HCC1937 in terms of related proteins of VM information were determined using western blot analysis. In vitro, the tubular networks were found in highly invasive HCC1937 cells but not in the non-invasive MCF-7 cells when plated on matrigel. The number of vascular channels was significantly reduced when cells were exposed in GSPs ($100{\mu}g$/ml) and GSPs ($200{\mu}g/mL$) groups (all p<0.001). Furthermore, we found that treatment with GSPs promoted transition of the mesenchymal state to the epithelial state in HCC1937 cells as well as reducing the expression of Twist1 protein, a master EMT regulator.GSPs has the ability to inhibit VM information by the suppression of Twist1 protein that could be related to the reversal of epithelial-to-mesenchymal (EMT) process. It is firstly concluded that GSPs may be an p otential anti-VM botanical agent for human TNBCs.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
• /
• v.52 no.1
• /
• pp.81-88
• /
• 2020

The biological activities of Platycodon grandiflorum (PG) root extracts have been studied intensively, whereas there are limited number of studies on PG seed extract (PGSE). PGSE was prepared by ethanol extraction, and its antidiabetic effect was evaluated in mice with type 2 diabetes (C57BLKS/J-db/db). Results indicated that the administration of high-dose PGSE (600 mg/kg, wb) significantly stabilized the blood glucose levels, as evidenced by the results of the oral glucose tolerance test. Mice treated with high-dose PGSE exhibited significantly lower serum hemoglobin A1c, insulin, and leptin levels after eight weeks of feeding trial (p<0.05). High-dose PGSE administration significantly improved glucose uptake in the femoral muscle of db/db mice by activating both IRS-1/PI3K/AKT/AS160 and AMPK phosphorylation pathways. GLUT4 translocation from the cytosol to the plasma membrane increased 1.7-fold in the PGSE high-dose group. These results suggest that PGSE has potential for development as an antidiabetic agent.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
• /
• v.44 no.3
• /
• pp.343-348
• /
• 2017

Cymbidium aloifolium (L). Sw. is an exquisite epiphytic orchid of the Kolli Hills (Eastern Ghats) of Tamil Nadu in Southern India. It is fast disappearing from its natural habitats due to deforestation and low germination rate in natural habitat. In the present study, an attempt was made to germinate the seeds from un-dehisced capsule of Cymbidium aloifolium (L). Sw under in vitro condition. The seed germination and protocorm development were recorded in three different well known media namely Knudson C (KC), Half strength Murashige & Skoog (1/2 MS) and Vacin & Went (VW) media. The highest seed germination of 90% was observed KC basal media after $30^{th}$ days whereas germination percentages were 40% and 30% on 1/2 MS and VW media respectively. The well-developed protocorm were transferred to KC media supplemented with 6-Benzyl Amino Purine (BAP) and Naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) where BAP (1.0 mg/l) and NAA (1.0 mg/l) together were found to be optimum for the highest shoot formation. About 90% of the shoots found to be well rooted after transfer to the KC medium differently supplemented with 1.5 mg/l Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and 1.0 mg/l Indole-3-butyric acid (IBA). Though rooting also took place in the two basic media but the duration was longer when compared with the hormone-supplemented media. The rooted plantlets were hardened and kept under greenhouse conditions which can be relocated in natural habitats.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
• /
• v.47
• /
• pp.95-106
• /
• 2002

Soybean is one of the most important sources of protein and oil in the world. Recently, emphasis has been laid on the chemical composition of soybean seeds for the processing soybean foods. Improvement of soybean components has been expected to improve food-processing quality for the processed soybean products such as soymilk and various edible ingredients as well as fur the traditional soyfoods. In Korea, soybean breeding research programmes have been focused on the quality of the products derived from soybean with yield stability, and some new modified soybean varieties haying good food-processing quality were developed recently. So the efforts of establishing standard and standardization of products in soybean are important. Three main categories should be considered in view of soybean seed quality; the marketing value such as grain size, shape, and appearance; the eating and processing value such as dehulled ratio, water absorption rate, and benny flavor; the nutritional value such as protein, lipid, and carbohydrate contents. And the new frontiers in research are looking at the functional nutrients in soybeans and how to improve them. In case marketing value, mainly the appearance is evaluated, therefore, each country has an application of standard related to quality. Each determination of standard class, heat-damaged kernels, splits, and soybeans of other colors is made on the basis of the grain when free from foreign materials. But processing value and nutritional value for standardization were not studied in detail till now. In addition, soybean has potential roles in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases, most notably cancer, osteoporosis, and heart disease. The functional nutrients include a protease inhibitor, phytic acid, saponins, and isoflavones, etc.. It is believed that standardization of soybean quality should perform to overcome the difficulties, relatively high price of domestic soybean products has weakened the competitive power, in the market related to WTO. So, we should focus on further research into the evaluation and establishment of quality-standard in soybean.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
• /
• v.58 no.5
• /
• pp.294-299
• /
• 2014

In this study, we investigate anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory effects of Leonurus sibiricus seed (LSS) extract in basophilic leukemia RBL-2H3 cells. To identify anti-allergic actions of LSS, the degranulation was evaluated in IgE and DNP-BSA stimulated RBL-2H3 cells. At the concentration of $100{\mu}g/ml$ of methanol (MeOH) extract and Methylene chloride (MC) and Ethyl acetate (EtOAc) fractions, the degranulation was significantly inhibited 16.7%, 16.7% and 27.9% respectively. And then, to assess anti-inflammatory effects of LSS, IL-4 and IL-13 mRNA level were detected in PMA/ionomycin (PI)-induced RBL-2H3 cells and cell proliferation and IL-4 mRNA level in isolated splenocytes from Balb/c mice. LSS MeOH extract and MC and EtOAc fractions significantly decreased the level of IL-4 and IL-13 mRNA in PI-induced RBL-2H3 cells and showed inhibitory effects on cell proliferation and expression of IL-4 mRNA level in mouse splenocytes. Taken together, these results suggest that LSS has potential anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory effects and EtOAc fraction is the most effective in regulating immune responses.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.37 no.4
• /
• pp.363-374
• /
• 2005

A heterogeneous thorium-based Kyung Hee Thorium Fuel (KTF) assembly design was assessed for application in the APR-1400 to study the feasibility of using thorium fuel in a conventional pressurized water reactor (PWR). Thermal hydraulic safety was examined for the thorium-based APR-1400 core, focusing on the Departure from Nucleate Boiling Ratio (DNBR) and Large Break Loss of Coolant Accident (LBLOCA) analysis. To satisfy the minimum DNBR (MDNBR) safety limit condition, MDNBR>1.3, a new grid design was adopted, that enabled grids in the seed and blanket assemblies to have different loss coefficients to the coolant flow. The fuel radius of the blanket was enlarged to increase the mass flow rate in the seed channel. Under transient conditions, the MDNBR values for the Beginning of Cycle (BOC), Middle of Cycle (MOC), and End of Cycle (EOC) were 1.367, 1.465, and 1.554, respectively, despite the high power tilt across the seed and blanket. Anticipated transient for the DNBR analysis were simulated at conditions of $112\%$ over-power, $95\%$ flow rate, and $2^{\circ}C$ higher inlet temperature. The maximum peak cladding temperature (PCT) was 1,173K for the severe accident condition of the LBLOCA, while the limit condition was 1,477K. The proliferation resistance potential of the thorium-based core was found to be much higher than that of the conventional $UO_2$ fuel core, $25\%$ larger in Bare Critical Mass (BCM), $60\%$ larger in Spontaneous Neutron Source (SNS), and $155\%$ larger in Thermal Generation (TG) rate; however, the radio-toxicity of the spent fuel was higher than that of $UO_2$ fuel, making it more environmentally unfriendly due to its high burnup rate.

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
• /
• v.48 no.4
• /
• pp.255-263
• /
• 2021

Paederia foetida L. is an important medicinal plant that has been used for the treatment of various gastrointestinal related ailments by different tribal communities in India. This plant is also known for its use as a food. Due to overexploitation, P. foetida has been classified as a vulnerable plant in some states of India. The propagation of P. foetida by conventional methods is easy but very slow. Synthetic seed technology offers incredible potential for in vitro propagation of threatened and commercially valuable plants, and can also facilitate the storage and exchange of axenic plant material between laboratories. However, synthetic seed production for P. foetida has not yet been reported. Thus, to the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first attempt to produce synthetic seeds of P. foetida by calcium alginate encapsulation of in vitro regenerated axenic nodal segments. Sodium alginate (3%) and CaCl₂ (100 mM) were found to be the optimal materials for the preparation of ideal synthetic seeds, both in terms of morphology and germination ability. The synthetic seeds showed the best germination (formation of both shoot as well as root; 83.3%) on ½ MS medium augmented with 0.5 mg/L indole-3-acetic acid. The plantlets obtained from these synthetic seeds could be successfully acclimatized under field conditions. We also studied the storage of these synthetic seeds at low temperature and their subsequent sprouting/germination. The seeds showed a germination rate of 63.3% even after 21 days of storage at 4 ℃; thus, they could be useful for transfer and exchange of P. foetida germplasm.